Problems with 2001 Ford Escape VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle experiences sudden acceleration from 0-45 mph after releasing the brake pedal while in the stopped position. the vehicle experiences increased braking and jolts forward when braking is applied. when the vehicle is placed in park, the engine revs on its own. the vehicle must be turned off for the engine to quit revving. this problem was initially sporadic, but is now getting progressively worse and occurs more often. the dealership replaced the accelerator cable but the problem still occurred. an independent repair shop determined that the problem might be the speed control servo. there is an nhtsa recall, #00v210001, regarding the: vehicle speed control. the vin was not included in the recall.

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was parked in the garage for two days when it suddenly erupted in flames during the middle of the night. the fire department was contacted and concluded the fire originated in the engine compartment. the dealer was alerted, but did not inspect the vehicle. there was extensive smoke damage to the home and no one sustained injuries. the only problem present with the vehicle prior to the incident was the cruise control button was broken and the cruise control would not engage. the cruise stopped working two years ago.*ak

My vin# for my 2001 ford escape is not listed under the vehicle speed control recall. however, i am and have been experiencing this problem with my vehicle for some time now. *jb

Cruise control does not work at all, there are so many problems in this vehicle. *jb

Approaching hiway construction with flagman and about 10 cars stopped, when i hit the brake, cruise control failed to disengage, throttle stuck wide-open. i tried to turn it off with on/off button on steering wheel but no result,approaching stopped line of cars at full throttle, towing camping trailer. finally, i shifted into neutral and was able to stop the car/trailer, engine racing max revs and making strange noise, faltering as it might when the fuel mixture was too rich. i then turned the engine off, and upon inspection under the hood and locating what we thought was the cruise control, we jiggled a cable going into it and heard a clunk within. i then started the car and it ran normally. continued trip, just didn't use cruise control !! upon returning from trip, i called my ford dealer in durango, co and was told to call customer relations. i did so twice, and was told there was no recall on my car. i then searched the nhtsa website, and found there was a recall on 2001 escape for this very problem (safety recall 00s18, nhtsa campaign id# 00v210001), but my car's vin was not included! i submit that this incident illustrates that this vin (and maybe many others) should have been included. the problem has not been fixed (i just don't use the cruise), so i still have the old part, pending resolution of this issue. thank you. *nm

In may 2005 the accelerator cable stuck wide open on my 2001 ford escape (v-6 engine automatic transmission) this happened in my driveway when i punched down on the pedal very hard. there is a plastic cover on top of the engine that must be removed in order to see where the cables hook up to the throttle body. i removed this to determine if it was the throttle body or the cable that was stuck. as i was taking it off the cable became unstuck on it's own so i was unable to determine the problem. at that point i took it to the dealer and they said they were unable to duplicate the problem so they did nothing. on 8/10/05 my wife pushed down hard on the gas pedal while merging into freeway traffic. the accelerator stuck wide open again and she found herself going about 100 mph down the highway. finally she put the car in neutral, shut off the engine, coasted to the berm and called a tow truck. since the dealer couldn't fix the problem the first time i decided to look at it again myself. again i took the plastic cover off the top of the engine and once again the cable became unstuck. this made me suspect that the plastic cover may have something to do with the problem. upon further inspection i found that the cruise control cable housing had broken right before the part that connects to the throttle body. this creates a situation that can cause the cruise cable to pivot up and wedge against the plastic engine cover during hard acceleration instead of it moving in its housing like it should thus causing the throttle to stick wide open. i was able to make this happen a few times so i am confident this was actually the problem. i explained the problem to the dealer but they wouldn't be able to work on the car for over a week so i went to the parts dept. ordered the part (under $30) went home and put it on myself (takes less than 5 minutes). the car is fixed now. *nm

My wife was driving our 8 year old twins to a piano recital in my 2001 ford escape, and, while going up a steep hill on a four-lane road, the engine downshifted and the car accelerated out of control. when she realized that she the car was speeding forward when she was not pressing on the accelerator, she applied the brakes hard, but nothing happened. in an attempt to avoid the cars, she took an off-ramp but quickly realized that traffic was stopped there as well. in desperation, my wife pulled the emergency brake. the car then stopped, but then lost she lost everything. my escape started rolling backwards down the hill, even with the emergency brake on. again, the foot brake didn't respond. she was headed backwards down the 1/2 mile, steeply graded hill into the cars coming up the hill. she turned the wheel to back up the steep embankment on the side of the road. after bouncing backwards through the steep ditch and traveling about 14 feet up the embankment, the car paused for a moment and then slammed forward back into the ditch. our children were not hurt. my wife has suffered whiplash which is requiring medication, physical therapy, and gives her constant pain. my local ford dealer has been honest that a cruise control wire was frayed, and even though she was not using the cruise control, it was moving in parallel to the accelerator cable. the frayed cruise control cable stuck and caused the accelerator to compress and stick. they have no explanation for the loss of brakes and the failure of the emergency brake. however, after the honest assessment, poor treatment ensued. the dealership is fixing the cable, transmission, and brakes under our extended warranty and not taking ownership for the accident. they have had my car for 1 month today, and i still do not have it back. i will have to pay the $1000 deductible for the auto body work.

Accelerator pedal sticking. had inspected, determined throttle cable needed to be replaced. this is the 2nd time in 2 years this has been replaced. current recall by ford for this problem does not include 2001 models. *jb

The throttle on the consumer's 2001 ford escape failed. *nm *sc *jb

When i press on my accelerator at a stop sign it sticks. then when it breaks through i accelerate quickly. i am afraid that i am going to get into an accident and injure myself or others. it happens all the time.

Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while being driven. owner had to apply brakes several times in order to slow down. taken to dealer for cleaning of the throttle body.*ak

When driving any speed, the accelerator pedal would stick intermittently. the consumer would have to depress the brake pedal hard to get the pedal unstuck. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. the cause was not determined. please provide more information. *nm

While stopped at a traffic light the vehicle surged forward violently without warning. the consumer stated two weeks later while parked the same thing occurred and the vehicle collided into a store window. *jb the vehicle collided into a store window. *sc

Twice in last year (excluding today) i had unintended acceleration while driving my 2001 ford escape. both times i was on the freeway and suv had a mind of its own. i stepped on brakes - it did nothing. i tried to pull up on gas pedal - nothing happened. finally stopped with neutral and emergency brake...took suv to ford - they replaced the throttle body on 6/18/04. today (7/23/04) while on the freeway driving to work (in rush hour traffice), i accelerated to get out of the way of a truck that was going to merge onto the freeway. accelerator stuck; brakes did not work; i put car in neutral; engine made really loud "revving" type noices; i put car back in drive and brades still did not work.. i had to use emergency brake to stop. what saved me from a possibly fatal accident was that there was no one directly in front of me on freeway. i called ford and am dropping vehicle back off.. they think it might be the cable now. i am afr aid to drive it. i was doing about 62 mph this am and when it accelerated on its own - i went up to about 78 mph.*ak

Intermittently while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated on its own. while the consumer shifted from drive to park, the vehicles rpms went up. the vehicle was taken to independent shop and the mechanic cleaned the air idle control. *ak when placing the vehicle in park, the rpm's accelerated between 4000 and 5000. *sc *jb

Recall campaign 00v210001 concerning vehicle speed control cable. while drivingthrottle cable becomes inoperable. upon depressing the pedal it will stick. consumer has taken the vehicle to the dealer five times for the very same problem as the recall stated. *ak

When placing foot onto the gas pedal vehicle will not move. then, once it moves it jumps. *ak

There is currently a recall on the 2002-2004 ford escape suv's due to accelerator cable problems. we have a 2001 ford escape 4x4 suv and the accelerator cable is also sticking. why not recall all the model years? why wait till there is an accident or major failure?*ak

I experienced uncontrolled acceleration of the vehicle as i was about to turn into a parking space at the local library.*ak

The gas pedal became stuck, which effected the speed control cable . there was a recall for this year, make and model, however the vehicle's vin was not included. *jb the dealer replaced the throttle body. *nm

Accelerator sticks in idle while vehicle stops. driver must "jab" accelerator to get it out of idle and start vehicle moving in forward or reverse. problem is constant since purchasing vehicle in dec 2002.*ak

It takes an excessive amount of pressure on the gas pedal to accelerate from a stop.sudden acceleration results from sticking gas pedal. *ak

Over the years of owning the car that i bought new for my daughter we had it in for service several times for a sticking throttle and cruise control problems. i have records of 6 different times we took it back to the dealer for throttle problems. the last time the throttle stuck it caused our vehicle to hit the back of another vehicle stopped at a stop sign. we took it back to the service center complaining of the motor revving up causing the accident. we were ignored of the problem then told the vehicle was no longer worth the cost of the repairs caused from the accident. *tr

Consumer stated while driving and trying to accelerate vehicle hesitated/or paused before it responded. took vehicle to the repair shop twice for the same problem, and was told that the problem was the throttle body. *ak

While driving the vehicle jumped forward and accelerated. *nlm

I was driving on the highway today. went to use the cruise control, and the light came on. cruise control was not engaged. i was almost rear-ended. was set at 65 mph, speedometer showed rapid deceleration even though cruise was supposed to be engaged. had to disengage and manually control speed. found 5 other posts on yahoo internet site for escape owners. same problem. light on, no cruise. *jb

I purchased this ford escape in march 2001 and have had nothing but problems with it since. on march 26 2001, two days after i received my new vehicle, it wouldn't start. the same problem occurred three more times in a period of two weeks before i brought the vehicle back to the dealer on april 9 2001. the dealership replaced the battery which was obviously defective. since then i have had numerous other problems with my ford escape. i reported that the throttle was sticking (5/17/02) and it was replaced, but it continues to happen. i also reported that there was a vibration and hesitation when shifting gears around 45 mph (5/17/02). nothing was done at that time to remedy the problem. i later (8/29/02) reported the same problem to the dealer, brought the vehicle back for service on 9/27/02 at which time the torque converter was replaced. there is still a hesitation and loss of power as i drive the vehicle. also on 5/11/02, the "service engine soon" light came on. the fuel emissions valve was replaced on 5/17/02. on 10/28/02, i reported to the dealer that my vehicle almost stalled at an intersection on 10/26/02 and later that day it would not start. i also told the service representative that there continued to be a "loss of power" as i drive the vehicle at highway speeds. i brought the escape back to the dealer on 10/30/02 and the technician found "nothing wrong" with the vehicle from the tests he performed. i am not satisfied with these results there is something obviously wrong with this vehicle! dt

While driving only at low speeds, steering column will make a loud noise and it could cause future steering problems. dealer notified.*ak the cover on the bottom of the steering wheel was broken. the vehicle shimmys when applying the brakes. the brakes were inspected and the front rotor was machined and the front pads cleaned. consumer states there is a pecking noise in the engine. consumer states the accelerator pedal is hard to push because the throttle body needed replacing. the air conditioner stops while at idle. also, when coming to a stop, the heater is not warm. *jg

Vehicle has on 2 occasions shut off while driving. without warning, the engine, battery, and oil lights come on at the same time and vehicle immediatelty shuts itself off. vehicle has been to the dealership after both occurrences. the iac, dpfe, and fuel pump relay were all replaced and my vehicle's pcm was reprogrammed. none of these "fixes" have solved the problem. although the technician working on the vehicle and the shop foreman have made every effort to assist me with the problem, the cause of the problem has yet to be determined. the manufacturer is aware of this problem with this particular vehicle, but cannot explain what is wrong or how to repair it. i do not feel safe driving my escape knowing that it could shut itself off at any time without warning in the middle of a busy road.*ak

While traveling at 45 mph, vehicle suddenly started to loose power, consumer was almost rear ended, when engine started to loose power. consumer states accelerater pedal gets stuck periodically. please provide any further information. mr

6/10/02 engine stalled while off throttle at approx 30mph while slowing down to turn into a place of business. lost all power to steering and brakes and narrowly missed hitting another car. happened 4 times on the way to the dealer on the same date.able to restart after putting in park.dealer had car for the rest of the week and repaced pcm. on 6/22 engine stalled while going 40mph and exiting hwy 1 s on a very curvy exit ramp. lost all power steering and brakes and had to manhandle it off to the side.restarted by putting in park but had to wait till monday to talk to service dept at dealer. on monday 6/24 dealer would not take vehicle-too busy, and had to wait till 6/25 to deliver to dealer. service person said it was ok to drive but i did not due to dangerous nature of the problem. dealer received car on 6/25, had it for 4 days and replaced iac. the very next day after picking it up it stalled 2 times at 30mph off throttle. rendered unusable for the weekend. returned car to dealer for third time on 7/1 and they have had it ever since. today is 7/16 and they say they have a temporart fix that should work till ford issues a permanent fix. i am not risking my life and the lives of others who are unfortunate enough to be driving near me when it stalls so i am refusing vehicle and seeking a new identical replacement. currently the dealer is communicating this to ford. dealer stalff has been polite, helpful, concerned, appologetic and willing to back me up against ford. they have supplied me with an acceptable loaner vehicle the entire time my car has been down. this is a dangerous problem that ford has to fess up to before more people get injured or even killed. it's intollerable and a corporate lack of responsibility to their customers. please recommend a recall.*ak

At 50mph when foot was let up from accelerator, there would be a delay in deceleration, also steering column would shake. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak check engine light came on and stayed on. the vehicle did not always accelerate or decelerate correctly. the dealer replaced the pcm computer system three times, but the problem continued to exist. *yh

While driving at about 40 mph, with both children in the car, my car stalled in a busy intersection. my brakes, steering, accellerator, and electrical(radio and speedometer) went out. i was forced to coast down the street to find somewhere to pull over. i have sent it to the dealership and they acted like it was my fault that it happened and that they hadn't heard of such complaint. i am scared to drive it even after they said it is fixed. i have heard of this happening,after i did some reasearch and people have reported it happening again. i would like some kind of trade or reimbuirsement. my reason being is for the saftey of my children and myself. the car is only 11 months old.*ak

While traveling up an incline at 55mph vehicle started to lose power. consumer pressed gas pedal to floor and vehicle would not go over 5 mph. consumer was almost hit by a truck. cause unknown. please provide any further information.*ak

There were numerous problems. the egr sensor (dpfe) was replaced along with the sop driver side outer belt molding, fuel pump, sway bar links and iac. *bf there was a loud noise coming from the driver's side window, water leaked around the tailgate window, the vehicle was hard to start, the iac was sticking, the driver's side window squeaked and rattled, the vehicle hesitated upon starting, there was play in the front sway bar links, the coolant light stayed on, there was a crack around the oil pan and the oil drain plug was problematic, and the accelerator pedal was sticking. *sc *jb

The vehicle experienced sudden acceleration.*jb

Vehicle has stalled 3 times at 35-40 mph down an incline. dealer has recalibrated computer.*ak dealer put on new eec and new idle air control. a/c failed and was replaced. *yh

Nar 02/13/2003. the automatic transmission would shift to drive from over drive, the vents automatically switched to frost. the vehicle completely stalled on a separate occasion, the relay assembly was replaced. the cruise control was inoperative from the time of purchase. the windshield wipers stopped working, the consumer continued to experience problems with the transmission and the gas mileage was poor. *jb

Consumer states that the accelerator pedal sticks intermittently, when it releases vehicle will surge forward. vehicle was taken to 2 dealerships, both determined this was normal operating procedure for this vehicle. *ak *yd

My vehicle is a 2001 ford escape v6 xlt 4x4 purchased new (0 miles) in august. on nov. 28, 2001, in the morning, after about 8 minutes of running and less than a mile of driving, i was going down a hill (on ramp to highway). i had accelerated to a coast of about 35-40 mph and was about to accelerate again when the vehicle completely shut off, many indicator lights appeared (as a result of the key being in the run position), power brakes and steering were lost. i shifted the vehicle to neutral and re-started while moving to avoid a rear-end collision. i reported the incident to the dealer as soon as possible and they scheduled me for 2 days later. the person on the phone was aware of ford escapes stalling yet when i discussed it with the service manager he said he had never heard of escapes stalling and none had been in for service for this reason "to his knowledge". i perceived this as deceit. he then said he would conduct an "oasis" in which they receive information from ford about known problems. after having the vehicle for the day, they told me nothing was wrong. i requested a list of what was done as required by new jersey law. i told them i did not feel safe in this vehicle and that this was their first attempt at fixing the problem. i also stated that if it happens again and they still do not fix the problem, i would seek a full refund under new jersey's lemon law, first by sending a certified letter to ford. i would really prefer that the manufacturer fix this life threatning problem that many people are experiencing.*ak

Vehicle stalled four times at speeds ranging from 10-40 mph. lost power steering and brakes. very unnerving and seems to pose a dangerous threat. appears ford has no fix or solution yet.*ak

When driving or idling, my 2001 ford escape has stalled 7 times in the past three weeks. the auto has only 8600 miles. i first took it to the ford service shop, who replaced the air flow valve and the idle regulator, but this did not solve the problem. the car stalled again two days later. i returned the car to the shop without any help from the dealer because the shop could not duplicate the problem. i explained to the shop manager that i had read on the internet that a pcm relay could be the culprit. the frod delaer shop very hesitantly replaced the part today. i feel this is a very serious problem because i have almost been hit twice when the engine has stalled. i lose power steering and power brakes, thus losing control of the car. *ak

Engine stalling, intermittent, unpredictable. during various times, days and circumstances. since 09/25/01 till last time was 12/01/03.*ak

Stalls when stepping on gas from a stop and when going from reverse to drive. brought to dealer twice already since initial occurrnce. first time (9/22): said they couldn't find anything wrong. second time (10/8): replaced iac valve (?). still stalling the next day. called dealer 10/11: didn't get back to me. stopped at dealer on 10/12: said they were going to talk to a ford tech (who didn't return their call). also called ford customer service and they talked to dealer (who told them same thing they told me). now have to wait until monday until i can talk to them again. nobody seems to want to acknowledge this dangerous situation.*ak

Consume r was traveling about 45mph on a mountain road, and without prior warning, engine check light came on the dashboard. then, there were no brakes or power steering. also, speed pedal went all the way to the floor. consumer was able to control vehicle. dealership was aware of problems. *ak

While accelerating vehicle stalled at 15 mph. dealer replaced iac valve which was sticking.

Vehicle accelerates/surges, without warning when in reverse or automatic lst gear. this happens sporadictly, maybe once every 2-3 weeks, without warning. i took it to a local ford dealer and nothing showed up on their computor. their mechanic went on the ford hotline and found that the problem was listed, and a possible fix suggested. the mechanic rehooked the vehicle back up to the computer and found that the fix had already been installed on the truck, and obviously was not working. an appologetic service rep. handed me the keys and i drove home in my defective truck. this problem is also listing by other owners on ford escape owner websites.*ak

On a 4- lane highway going 20-25mph, consumer let up off accelerator and vehicle took off. consumer slammed on brakes ,and vehicle was back to normal. consumer has a up comng appointment at dealer to be looked at vehicle. *ak

Car jumps suddenly forward/backward when easing into first gear or reverse. had two near accidents, 1st- flew backwards just missing a tree, 2nd flew backward in parking lot nearly hitting a car and pedestrian. this problem is also posted by other escape owners at a "escape" owner internet site, so it is not an isolated incident. *ak

Tires make a humming noise. consumer feels that they may be leaving ground like hydroplaning, and at 65 mph vehicle wobbles, vehicle is not stable at high speeds with window down. *ak the vehicle hesitates when a/c unit is in operation and a/c make a loud cyclic clicking sound. transmission makes sound. the vehicle was unstable at 65 mph with a slight wind and front end makes tumbling sounds on rough roads. the alternator light comes on intermittently. the cruise control turns off automaticaly by itself. the front brake has excessive dust. the vehicle had numerous interior system failures and malfunctioning. *yh